A review by rinbee
The Black Tides of Heaven by Neon Yang

5.0

The Black Tides of Heaven, along with the rest of the Tensorate series, is both a refreshing and unique take on a magic system in a fantasy setting as well as a beautiful depiction of journeys through gender and sexuality. It only just begins in the Black Tides of Heaven and dives much further into it in the second book, but the way explorations of gender is depicted was wonderful and so (unfortunately) rare in the fantasy genre. I love the concept of children being genderless and using gender-neutral pronouns until they discover how they want to identify. The Asian inspired setting is a shining light in a sea of European fantasy series, and the world just feels so authentic and real; there is such a diversity in inspirations across the world it takes place in which you can see in place and character names and the traditions of each location. It touches on class disparity and generational trauma in a realistic and empathetic way, along with so many other important themes. Truly an amazing start to a series that every fantasy lover should read!